Probiotics are the latest trend in skincare but probiotics are live microbes that have a beneficial effect. How are probiotic ingredients used in skincare products when most skincare products contain preservatives that kill microbes?
To summarise; in skincare, there are several types of probiotic ingredients, though not all are true probiotics. Types include:
1. Liquid broths in which microbes were grown and then filtered off (BIOME+ level 1).
2. Lysates in which the microbes were inoculated into a nutrient mix. The mix is then filtered off and the remaining microbe cells are broken to extract the cell contents for use (extracts of probiotic cells – BIOME+ level 2).
3. Tyndallised microbes where whole probiotic cells are inactivated by heat and then used in skincare products ( BIOME+ level 3).
4. Live Probiotics where various strains and species of living probiotics, which can grow and divide are added to skincare products (BIOME+ level 4).
Technically, only level 4 probiotics match the definition of a true probiotic, as they are alive.
